Using Their Faces as Canvases, These Makeup Artists Are the Real Deal

In honor of birthday girl Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s perfect pout, the Savoir Flair editors tried out four lip-plumping products to see which ones really work their magic to give you a fabulous, fuller-looking smile. Scroll through to read their honest verdicts and discover the best lip plumpers on the market.

Like a lot of women, I really don’t like lip gloss. It’s sticky and annoying, and I spend more time pulling my hair out of it than actually enjoying its beauty benefits. Needless to say, I was dubious about Glamglow’s ‘Plumprageous Gloss Lip Treatment’, but the thought of a fuller, plumper pout sounded too good to not give it a go.

Formulated with a high-potency blend of botanical plumping actives, its thick and almost gloopy texture (which surprisingly isn’t as irritating as I thought it would be) goes on clear and instantly starts tingling – quite intensely but not uncomfortably – to stimulate lips and plump them out. It definitely did make my lips look slightly fuller, although only while it’s actually on – one colleague even asked if I’d done something differently, which proves there was a noticeable difference. I wore it alone and over lipstick and, thanks to a blend of Shea and coconut, it always softened my lips. The only downside is it’s quite awkward and hard to open, but overall, I was pretty impressed and am now slightly addicted to its freshening tingle!

I must confess, I’m not much for experimenting with new makeup products – but skincare is a whole other ball game. I was only too excited to try out Guerlain’s ‘Abeille Royale Honey Smile Lift’, a multipurpose lip treatment that claims to plump up the lips in addition to smoothing fine lines and helping the contours look more distinct. But did it deliver? Not entirely. After a week or two of repeated use, I never actually saw a difference in the plumpness of my lips. It did feel like a luxurious lip balm, though, all thanks to its highly concentrated formula of Ouessant honey and royal jelly – so no complaints there.

Determined to give it another chance, I handed the product over to my 60-something-year-old mother, especially as the product seems to be designed for women looking to target signs of aging. After struggling a bit with its pamphlet – the instructions initially seem much more complex than they actually are – she responded rather positively to it, particularly thanks to its effectiveness at reducing the appearance of nasolabial folds, or “laughter lines”. Long story short, this is much better suited to someone looking to address the oft-neglected mouth area in terms of anti-aging as opposed to plumping their lips.

When it comes to makeup, only three things are key for me – eyeliner, blush, and lip gloss. They’re perfect for a fresh look without having to apply lots of makeup, especially when you’re running late for work (which I often am). I’d never considered trying out a lip-plumping product before – I’ve always been happy with my lips, but Estée Lauder’s ‘Pure Color Envy Lip Volumizer’ sounded like fun.

What I like about this gloss is the cooling effect when you apply it, which is all thanks to the mint it contains. Not only does it smell fresh, but it also cools your lips. I always find it hard to wait and see the promised results from beauty products and creams – I want their effects to be immediate, so I kept waiting for a miracle to happen! Although my lips never got that “Botox effect”, the product did make them look plumper.

I would definitely use this lip gloss as part of an everyday look, and its minty smell is perfect to freshen you up in the morning!

Labo Suisse’s ‘Fillerina Lip Volume Treatment’ works as a topical applicator of hyaluronic acid, a molecule that boasts water-retaining properties, which is supposed to plump and define your lips over time. In theory, this sounds like a great idea. In practice, however, not so much. According to the enclosed leaflet, it needs to be applied five times a day over the course of one to three months until results are visible. I was able to keep this up for about two weeks, having to set five alarms per day to make sure I didn’t miss any applications, but gave up shortly after that. If you’re looking for dramatic or fast results – or if you, like me, suffer from a shortage of patience – this is definitely not the product for you.